If you’re pregnant, or trying for a baby, you’ll want to make sure you’re as fit and healthy as possible. One way of keeping your baby protected, as well as you, is by having the COVID-19 vaccines and booster. But with so many misconceptions surrounding the vaccine, you may have lots of questions. 

And you’re not alone. On our Netmums forum many of you are asking for advice about the vaccine including, ‘Will the COVID-19 vaccine affect my fertility?’ and ‘I’m pregnant – could it harm my baby?’

To help put your mind at ease, we put some of the most commonly-asked questions in our forum to Netmums' official midwife, Sarah Joy Owen.

Here’s all you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine and what it means for your fertility, getting pregnant and your unborn baby.

‘I’ve heard the COVID vaccine can make me infertile. I’m scared to have it as I know I want kids in the future’

One of the most repeated rumours about the vaccine is that it could affect your fertility. Which is not what you want to hear if you're TTC. The good news is, it's totally untrue.

In reality the facts are simple: there is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine affects fertility in women or men.

Instead, the vaccine is the best way to keep yourself safe. Especially as almost all pregnant women who were hospitalised or in intensive care with COVID were unvaccinated.

Sarah says:

‘The latest research we have shows no link between having the vaccine and fertility. Although new reports are coming out – and indeed there are now calls for more studies on any effect the vaccine may have on periods – there is no evidence it affects pregnancy.

'Much of this evidence is based on reports from women who have already been vaccinated (more than 200,000 across the UK and the States) and some is from specific research projects on women who have had the vaccine and then gone on to get pregnant.’

‘I’ve had the first two jabs, isn’t that enough to protect me, why would I risk a third? I’m TTC and I’ve heard it can affect my fertility’

Getting boosted will increase your protection against COVID. Official data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows just two doses of the vaccine wears off over time and doesn’t give you enough protection against the Omicron variant. That’s why it’s so important you go for your booster. 

When it comes to TTC, as Sarah explains above there’s no evidence the vaccine affects fertility for women or men. Also, you don’t have to hold off trying to get pregnant after having the vaccine. 

‘Results from clinical trials show the rates of participants getting pregnant was similar in both women who had been vaccinated and those who had not’, she adds.

COVID-19 vaccines have now been given to thousands of pregnant women in the UK. And  research has found they are safe before, during and after pregnancy.

We’ve got lots of tips and advice to get you started, from ovulation tips to pregnancy ‘golden rules’.

‘We’ve been trying to have a baby for over a year with no success. Why should I risk having a jab that may reduce my chances of conceiving?’

Every couple is different and while most people get pregnant within a year, it can take longer. 

There are lots of reasons for this, including your age and how often you have sex. But the COVID-19 vaccine is not one of them: it won’t affect your chances of getting pregnant. Instead, it will protect you from potentially getting seriously ill from the virus.

It can be very stressful and upsetting if you’ve been trying for a while. Talk to your GP if you’ve been having regular unprotected sex for 1-2 years and it hasn’t happened.

‘I am very unsure whether to get the COVID vaccine. I am 26 weeks pregnant and getting worried about what could happen if I don’t have it. But I am just as concerned about side effects that it may have on the baby’

The COVID-19 vaccine and booster is safe to have at any stage of pregnancy. It’s the best way to protect you and your baby from the virus.

This is especially important as UKHSA figures show that out of 235 pregnant women taken to intensive care with COVID, none had been vaccinated.

Meanwhile new research from pregnancy and baby loss charity Tommy’s says women who get COVID in later pregnancy are more likely to have birth-related complications. This can include your baby being born prematurely, or even being stillborn.

Sarah says:

‘The vaccine is safe to have at any stage of pregnancy, and when you are breastfeeding. It is a non-live vaccine and doesn't contain anything that could harm you or your baby.

'Although the risks of getting very ill from COVID are greater in the later stages of pregnancy, it's worth getting protection from the vaccines as soon as you can.’

‘Has anyone taken their 2nd dose while pregnant? … I am not sure whether catching Covid would be worse or the vaccine’

You’re advised to have your vaccinations and booster as soon as you can. There’s no need to wait until after your baby arrives.

Being fully vaccinated is the best way to keep you and your unborn baby safe and is recommended by the Royal College of Obstetricians and the Royal College of Midwives.

There’s even data to back it up: from over 100,000 COVID vaccinations in pregnancy in England and Scotland (along with 160,000 in the US), there’s been no harm to the baby.

Sarah adds:

‘Your immune system changes when you are pregnant making you more susceptible to infections and viruses. These changes also increase your chances of illnesses like the flu or coronavirus developing more serious complications. We know that if you become unwell with COVID in the third trimester sadly your chances of having a stillbirth double, and your risk of having a pre-term baby triples.

‘The numbers are still very low but the risk is still there. Research also shows us that contracting COVID whilst pregnant also increases a woman's chances of developing pre-eclampsia which in itself can prove very serious for mums and their babies.’